This jinja is known as one of the three largest Inari shrines in Japan, and its deity was awarded the Senior First Rank, the highest court rank granted to shrines. During the feudal Tokugawa period, the shrine was revered highly as the designated place of worship for the here ditary lords of the Kasama Domain, and since that time, it came to be known popularly by the familiar title of Kurumi ga shita Inari ("the Inari under the walnut trees") or Monzaburo Inari (The Monzaburo Inari).

"The Inari Under the Walnut Trees"
At the time the Kasama Inari Jinja was first established, many walnut trees could be found throughout this area, and the Inari deity was enshrined in the midst of those walnut trees. From this beginning, the shrine took on the popular title of [Kurumi ga shita Inari], or "the Inari under the Walnut Trees." Even now, some forty wild walnut trees can be found growing within the precincts, and the shrine area has been called the northernmost flatland region producing such walnut trees.

Monzaburo Inari
According to one legend, the feudal lord of Kasama Domain, Inoue Masakata included within his house a man by the name of Monzaburo. A fervent believer in Inari, Monzaburo helped spread faith in Inari throughout the area along the Tone River, resulting in great blessings for the people of the region. As a result, the man became known widely as "Monzaburo of Kasama," and due to the connection with the Inari faith which Monzaburo spread, this shrine likewise became known by the popular title, "the Monzaburo Inari."